Politics
Bautista and Valdez Win Hudson County Commissioner Seats
Ron Bautista and Alex Valdez won seats on the Hudson County Board of Commissioners in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial results from the Hudson County Clerk.
Bautista ran unopposed in the 5th District and received 14,962 votes, about 98% of ballots cast, with the rest going to write-ins. He will succeed Commissioner Anthony Romano, who did not seek re-election.
In the 9th District, Valdez, a Democrat from Kearny, defeated Republican Anmol Gopalak with 10,270 votes, about 75%, to Gopalak’s 3,316, about 24%, with more than 98% of districts reporting. Valdez won a three-way Democratic primary in June.
Food & Water Action, an environmental advocacy group that backed both men, credited Bautista with helping fight NJ Transit’s plan for a new gas-fired power plant in Kearny and a proposed $11 billion widening of the New Jersey Turnpike extension through Hudson County. It said Valdez also opposed the Kearny plant.
“Communities throughout Hudson County are increasingly finding themselves on the front lines of the climate and affordability crisis,” said Sam DiFalco, the group’s North Jersey organizer. “Ron Bautista and Alex Valdez have proven to be these courageous voices, and we are excited for them to lead Hudson County.”
